BACK IN ACTION
No. 18 Utah State soccer (6-2-1, 0-0-0 Pac-12) wraps up the nonconference portion of its 2026 campaign this week with a pair of games, first traveling to Pocatello, Idaho, to face Idaho State on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m., then hosting Saint Mary's at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1 pm.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match will be streamed on ESPN+, while Saturday's match will be streamed free on the Pac-12 YouTube page. Fans can also follow along via StatBroadcast, with stream and stat links available on the team's schedule page at www.utahstateaggies.com.
ICYMI
Utah State went 2-0 last week with a pair of dominant wins at Bell Field, defeating No. 13 BYU 4-0 then taking down South Dakota State 3-0. Against the Cougars, USU earned its most decisive win over a ranked squad in program history, using a 10th minute goal to pull ahead early then three second-half goals to seal the win. Against South Dakota State, USU shut out one of the nation's top scoring offenses while limiting the Jackrabbits to just five total shots and two shots on goal.
AGGIES VS BENGALS
Thursday's matchup will be the 21st all-time between Utah State and Idaho State. The Aggies lead the all-time series 12-6-2, but are 7-1-1 in the past nine meetings. The most recent contest between the sides came in Logan in 2022, a 5-0 USU win.
All-time against current members of the Big Sky, USU is 61-25-8.
SCOUTING THE BENGALS
• Idaho State enters the week with a 2-4-1 overall record, with wins against CSU Bakersfield and Omaha, a draw against UNLV, and losses to CSUN, Boise State, SMU and UC Santa Barbara.
• The Bengals have scored nine goals this season while surrendering 16.
• Fifth year midfield/forward Saydree Cooke leads the squad with seven points this season, coming on two goals and three assists.
AGGIES VS GAELS
Sunday's match will be just the second-ever meeting between Utah State and Saint Mary's. The previous matchup came in 1998 in Moraga, a 2-1 win for the Gaels.
All-time against current members of the West Coast Conference, USU is 12-13-2.
SCOUTING THE GAELS
• Saint Mary's enters the week unbeaten, sitting at 6-0-3, with wins against Fresno State, UC Davis, USC, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and San José State, and draws versus Long Beach State, Georgetown and Columbia.
• The Gaels own the nation's second-longest unbeaten streak (trailing back to 2025) going 15-straight matches without a loss.
• Saint Mary's has scored 14 goals this season while surrendering just two.
• Sophomore forward Ashlyn Vaughn leads the squad in points this season with 12 points coming on six goals.
IN THE POLLS
• Utah State broke into the national rankings this week, being ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 following a pair of dominant victories last week.
• This is just the second season USU has ever been ranked. Previously, it made its Top 25 debut in 2024, when the Aggies climbed all the way to No. 7.
• USU received 55 points in the poll, placing it tied with league-mate Texas State at No. 18.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
A pair of Aggies earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors following last week's 4-0 win over No. 13 BYU and 3-0 win over South Dakota State.
• Senior forward Solena Sellers was named the Offensive Player of the Week after tallying a goal in each game, a 68th minute strike against BYU and a 51st minute goal vs SDSU. She totaled six shots in 82 total minutes of action on the week, all six of which were on goal.
• Sophomore defender Summer Sofonia was named the Defensive Player of the Week after scoring the opening goal against BYU in the 10th minute and anchoring an Aggie defense which posted a pair of shutouts and limited opponents to just a combined four shots on goal.
QUEENS OF THE HIVE
Utah State faced four Beehive State opponents during nonconference play, coming out victorious in each contest and outscoring those teams by a combined 14-1. USU earned road wins at Utah Valley (1-0) and Utah (1-0), and defeated Utah Tech (8-1) and BYU (4-0) in Logan. This is the second time in the past three seasons the Aggies have swept in-state opponents, along with 2024.
A TIP OF THE CAP
• Just nine games into the season, USU sophomore defender Capriel Winder has already tallied six assists. This leads the Pac-12 and ranks 16th in the nation.
• Winder needs just one more assist to crack the program's single-season top 10. She would be the only defender to do so.
• As a team, the Aggies rank 14th in the NCAA with 24 assists this year.
HOPING TO HOST
This year's Pac-12 Tournament will take place Nov. 11-15, and will be hosted by the team with the highest RPI following nonconference play. With just a week remaining, the Aggies currently hold the edge over Texas State — USU ranked No. 22 and Texas State ranked No. 31.
THE ELLIE HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Utah State junior forward Ellie Hendrix is having a major breakout season, and has been on a tear as of late. Hendrix was a consistent contributor each of the past two seasons, but after entering 2026 with four goals and seven assists in her career, she already has three goals and three assists this season.
Additionally, Hendrix has scored game-winning goals in three games this year (at Utah Valley, at Utah, vs Utah Tech). Against Utah Tech, she matched the program's single-game record for assists with three. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1.
A WIN FOR THE RECORD BOOK
In what was its first-ever meeting against in-state foe Utah Tech, USU put together one of the most prolific offensive performances in program history.
With an 8-1 win, Utah State tied for the fourth-most goals in a contest in program history, and tied for the third-largest margin of victory in program history. The Aggies out-shot the Trailblazers 32-2, which was tied for the fifth-most shots in a game in program history.
WELCOME TO BELL
• Chuck & Gloria Bell Field is home to the nation's longest unbeaten streak, as Utah State has gone undefeated in 32-straight games, a streak of longer than three calendar years. The team's last loss in Logan came Aug. 24, 2023 against Utah.
• In the past six years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 40-5-10 home record. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 133-37.
• Across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, USU went 13-0-5 at home and out-scored opponents by a combined 58-10.
• All-time, Utah State is 135-49-34 at home.
THE BEST SHOW IN TOWN
Helping Utah State to one of the best home field advantages in the country is one of the best crowds in the country at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field. Through five home games this season, the Aggies are averaging 1,497 fans per game, a mark which ranks 12th in the nation. USU set a program record attendance with its first-ever Bell Field sell-out this season against BYU, playing in front of 3,181 fans.
MARTINS MAGIC
• Utah State head coach Manny Martins, the two-time Mountain West Coach of the Year (2023, 24) and three-time Pacific Region Coach of the Year (2023, 24, 25) has led the most successful stretch of Aggie soccer in program history.
• As the head coach at USU, he has a 69-27-25 (.674) record, including a 31-15-11 (.640) mark in conference games. In the three years prior to his arrival, the team won just 16 total games.
U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!
Utah State has several players who have spent time on the national stage recently:
• Sophomore midfielder Mia Lopez was called up to the U-19 US Women's National Team for camps this spring and summer in Portugal, Argentina and Georgia.
• Sophomore defender Capriel Winder spent a week with the U-20 US Women's National Team at its training camp in Kansas City last October.
• Junior forward Austin Miller and sophomore forward Kunie Hirai were selected for the US Soccer College Talent ID Camp in June of 2025.
PUTTING IT TO THE TEST
Utah State is playing one of the nation's most-challenging nonconference schedules this season, a slate which features six power conference opponents, eight teams which finished last season in the top 85 in RPI and five teams which made the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Entering the season, it ranked tied for the 20th-toughest nonconference schedule in the country, and the toughest by a non-P4/Big East squad.
HERE TO STAY
Utah State head coach Manny Martins, who has led the Aggies to the winningest five-year stretch in program history during his time in Logan, signed a contract extension following last season which will keep him in Logan through at least the 2030 season.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Under coach Manny Martins, USU has established a reputation as one of the nation's top defenses, allowing less than a goal per game every year. The past five seasons combined, the Aggies have limited opponents to 0.81 goals per game. Four of the top seven seasons for goals allowed average in program history have come under Martins.
SISTER, SISTER
Utah State's 2026 roster includes three pairs of sisters. The Aggies are the only team in the country with three three sets of siblings.
• Sophomore forward Samantha Sellers is the younger sister of senior defender Solena Sellers.
• Sophomore midfield/defender Capriel Winder is the younger sister of junior defender Talia Winder.
• Sophomore midfield/forward Hadli Barrera and sophomore defender Bentli Barrera are twins. They are one of just 12 sets of twins playing on the same team this season.
UP NEXT
Utah State will begin its inaugural Pac-12 Conference season when it hosts No. 18 Texas State on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m, at Bell Field.
